Hello Everyone,

First off, we really appreciate anyone who had a chance to stop by and catch the video of the kids at work on our open house last Tuesday.  It was nice to see so many people and we hope you all enjoyed your time.  We understand that it’s not always easy for everyone to make it to these events, so please contact Angelique if you are still interested in watching the video.

Last week, as Carrie mentioned, Angelique left Friday to attend gatherings for her sister’s wedding in Pittsburgh, PA.  She returned to Indigo this Tuesday with a warm welcome from all of the students.  Just for your information, on Friday, Jennifer assisted Carrie during school hours, and on Monday, Kristy assisted her.  Friday, most kids seemed a little tired and emotional after a long week, so Carrie kept the day as laid back and relaxed as possible.  By Monday, everyone seemed well rested and ready for a new week.  Overall, Jennifer and Kristy seemed very pleased to see how peaceful and productive our students have been doing in the studio.

Here are just some of the lessons we have recently taught in the past week and a half:

Practical Life 

-Sorting colored beads with tongs into four compartments

-Pouring water into small vases with a funnel

-Using a pitcher to pour even amounts of dry food or beads into two cups (an introduction to dividing quantities)

-Using a whisk to make bubbles

Language

-Word building lessons for all ages with a movable wooden alphabet :  During this lesson, we showed each student how to build three letter words by looking at picture cards with the words printed below.  Older children who already know their letter sounds are encouraged to use another set of picture cards without the word spelled out on them.  Regardless if the word is displayed or not, we teach phonics to all of our students.  Watch this short video to get a better idea on how we teach phonics in the Montessori environment:  Montessori Words and Phonics

Science

-Introduction to the water cycle (i.e., what is a cloud and how is it formed?).

Geography

-Continents coloring page:  In Montessori, the children begin to recognize their continents by a color coding system.

And now for some recent photos of the students at work…

Just a side note:  We typically try to post one photo of each child, but sometimes they are working near or with another child in photos, so you may see some children more than once.  Just thought you should know, so you don’t get concerned if your child is only shown once.  We promise, we have plenty more photos that we will share at parent teacher conferences!

In the photos, you will notice a new student, Maya L., who was with the Pre-Primary class last school year and will be with us for the rest of 2013.  We are happy to welcome her to our Primary classroom after returning from a family trip.  All of our students have been great little teachers, showing her around the studio.

Thanks for reading along and we hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

~Angelique & Carrie